


Talking

by Lyrishadow



Category: Mass Effect: Andromeda
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-14
Updated: 2021-02-14
Packaged: 2021-03-14 17:53:37
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,073
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29422620
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lyrishadow/pseuds/Lyrishadow
Summary: Kaidan Alenko has joined the Andromeda Initiative and come along as the second in command for the Pathfinder team, replacing Cora, and relegating Cora to a support role.Sara Ryder is chosen as the pathfinder. Alec Ryder is dead. They settle Eos. Things in the crew are a little bit up and down.Sara and Kaidan have been together as friends for a while, and then move to lovers is inevitable but pushed along by Cora insisting Kaidan is too old for Sara.
Relationships: Kaidan Alenko/Female Ryder | Sara
Kudos: 1





	Talking

**Author's Note:**

> This is an AU for Mass Effect Andromeda. I am playing with a Kaidan Alenko/Sara Ryder romance, and hopefully, this small snippet will work alongside the long fic I am working on.

“I don’t need to explain! people can put two and two together! ” Her stance was unmistakable, strong, stubborn, absolutely one hundred percent Sara Ryder. Something in her always made you stop what you were doing and listen.  
“I am not having this conversation with you Cora!” she said through gritted teeth “I don’t care if you think he’s too old.”  
Kaidan blinked, this was about them then, they had spent a lot of time together since the Hyperion had arrived in Helios. He wasn’t blind, he had seen the weird looks that Cora had given him, rumors of Alec Ryder having trained Cora as his second, and then giving the position to Kaidan when he applied to join the Initiative were possibly more realistic than he wanted to accept. Time then to have a conversation with Cora. He had to wait though because right now, Sara was losing her temper with the Asari-trained woman.  
“Cora, I am an adult, not a child, he’s an amazing person. I met him before we left the Milky Way. I doubt it matters, but he’s also a good friend and my second in command. I rely on him, count on his advice.” Sara paused for a breath “I know, and I am sorry, but that isn’t my fault or his.”  
The conversation settled, and Liam walked past eyed Kaidan with a raised eyebrow, Kaidan shrugged and turned back to the console he was working on. When Sara walked past he kept his head down, she walked with purpose to her quarters, he would meet up with her later.

“Cora?” Kaidan said knocking on the door to the Bio lab; she had a good set up in here with the greenery and all the odds and ends of biological things they had collected.  
“Yes? What now?” Cora spun around her foot kicking out against a crate and her biotics flaring angrily.  
“Really? Can’t keep control?” Kaidan asked quietly.  
“I know your history, Major Alenko. You don’t need to pretend you were some angel to me.”  
“You think that Alec Ryder didn’t know my history? Or that I haven’t told Sara every last detail?” he asked “Because you sound angry at them and angry at me.”  
“I…” Cora sat down, her hair falling across her eyes "I'm not sure if I'm angry or just confused. I trained for years as Alec's second, then he bought you on and…" she shook her head "I can’t compete with Commander Shepard's crew."  
"You know I have more to my life than that?" Kaidan wasn't sure whether to laugh or cry, he knew he had served in Carson Shepard's shadow, it had been an honor and would always be. When Carson had died it had cut everyone loose, of him, and each other. Kaidan had still left a message to say goodbye to Carson, it had felt right and final.  
"Yes. You were the reason they had to close BaAt." Cora had that edge of malice back and Kaidan sighed.  
"My actions had their price, but BaAt was closed because children were killed."  
"It left most of us with nowhere to go." Cora replied, "except the military and they traded me away.”  
“Luckier than most,” Kaidan replied his voice cutting through whatever the mood she had tried to conjure was “you got to train with the Asari, most of us were left with people guessing what to do.”  
“I…” Cora sighed “I didn’t realize. I always thought I was …”  
“Weird? A freak? Look around you Cora, how many of the humans in the Initiative have biotics, how many of us are trying to something better?” Kaidan took half a step towards her and lowered his voice “Because if you threaten Sara, or threaten her mission, you will have to go through me.”  
Her eyes shot up to stare at him, concern lighting every part of her face.  
“I didn’t mean… you heard it?”  
“I heard.” Kaidan replied his words even because he didn’t need another person eavesdropping “Listen to me, I will only say this once, I care a great deal for Sara Ryder, so please back off and let our relationship be what it is.”  
“But rules?”  
“There isn’t any remember? This isn’t a military operation Cora, and Sara needs someone to lean on she’s already lost nearly everything she came with...” Kaidan’s hand went to the back of his neck, he realized belatedly perhaps that he was deeply in love with Sara Ryder, and had been from the moment she had appeared in front of him.  
“Why is it I can’t see those things?”Cora had calmed down suddenly.  
“You realize this is part of leading? You will grow into whatever is the right thing for you Cora, but it isn’t leadership.”  
“That is a hard thing. I am slowly learning.” Cora swallowed and extended her hand “I want to apologize. I think I was angry at you for all the wrong things, and what I hated was everyone being right.”  
Kaidan took her hand and shook it gently.  
“Be kind to Sara, support her like the crew she needs and that will all work well.” Kaidan replied, adding with a smile “And let us know how stuff goes in here, it’s very green.”  
“Yeah, Sam and I have been figuring it out.” Cora smiled “I will send you a report.”

“Amazing,” Sara said pacing her room a few hours later while Kaidan sat on the sofa. “You got Cora to apologize!”  
“I don’t think…”  
“No no, you should just take the compliment!” Sara sat down next to him legs crossed “I mean she let me have it about like… da... Wait what are we doing?”  
“I know she told me the same thing,” Kaidan replied before tossing the datapad he had been reading on a pile on the table. Sara was into Archeology and a lot of the data pads concerned the remnant tech they had found. He turned towards her slowly. Thinking over the events of the day. Certain that the ship had gossiped their way through the list of possibilities he wanted a clear answer as well. “So Sara, will you date me, be my girlfriend?”  
“Officially?”  
“Of course.” Kaidan exhaled.  
“Yes, From about the first sip of that caramel latte back on earth, I would have said yes.” She leaned towards him and placed a simple kiss on his lips. “I liked you when I saw you.”


End file.
